KUANTAN: The three members of a family who died in an accident at Jalan Kuantan-Pekan near Kampung Cherok Paloh here today were returning home after visiting a sick relative.

A family member, Rafie Ismail, 42, said he was informed Asnawati Muslimin, 53, had asked her daughter Nurul Jannah Bazlan to go to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) here to visit an uncle who had been warded for a week for kidney problems.

“I was told they left their home in Kampung Ketapang Tengah, Pekan at about 10 a.m, as they wanted to be in time for the visiting hour at noon. It is so unexpected that they themselves would be in an accident and taken back to HTAA,” he said when met at the hospital’s Forensics Unit here today.

In the 4 p.m incident, Asnawati, Nurul Jannah, 24, and her eldest child Nursyaffina Qalesya Mohammad Solahuddin, 4, died from severe head injuries after the car they were travelling in collided with a Chery Eastar vehicle which was in the opposite lane.

The accident also caused Nurul Jannah’s son, Muhammad Syamil Aqmal, one, and her younger sister Nurul Syaffiya, 17, who were in the back passenger seat to suffer injuries. Also injured were a husband-and-wife couple travelling in the Cherry Eastar.

Rafie said Asnawati’s husband, Bazlan Harun, 50, had asked him to manage the funeral arrangements at HTAA as Nurul Jannah’s, Mohamad Solahuddin Mohd Saufi, 30, was with his son at the emergency zone in the same hospital.

He said all the victims who died would be buried at the Ketapang Hilir Muslim Cemetery early tomorrow morning.

“Asnawati’s husband said he was very shocked when told that they were in an accident as Nurul Jannah had never used the interior roads to Pekan as she always preferred the Penor main road,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nurul Jannah father-in-law, Mohd Saufi, in his 50s, said the last time they met was last Wednesday when family returned to Taman Chini Permai, Pekan.

He said Nursyaffina Qalesya who was called “kakak”, was very loving and followed him to fetch his children who were still schooling.

“On the way back, kakak asked for a milo ice-cream made by her grandmother for sale. She would not go home until we relented and gave her the ice-cream…only then did she agree to go back,” he said. – Bernama